Date: 11/15/2015 04:50 PM
Subject: Thank you to Crown Obstetrics and South Shore Hospital
Dear N. Landry, CMN and Dr. K. Dever,
Following our stay at South Shore Hospital, I felt it necessary to share a Mother’s perspective of our birthing experience.
Full disclosure: I am a Nurse married to a Surgeon, both having been in practice 35 plus years. We reside in Florida and are parents to the delivering mother, Sarah Pajaro. When Sarah and her husband Ivan, informed us of their well-researched choice of Crown Obstetrics Midwifery prenatal care and South Shore Hospital for delivery, we concurred with their decisions. Throughout the pregnancy, we remained updated on the care our daughter described and felt that she was being well looked after. Nannette and her team provided a great source of knowledge and support for these expectant parents. They were encouraged to follow the path of a natural birth, utilizing all the resources suggested by Crown Obstetrics to make their plan a reality. I cannot sing enough praises for the OB team at Crown who made us, the parents to the “parents to be” feel reassured that Sarah and Ivan were pursuing the most current, safe and healthy prenatal birth plan available.
I joined the expectant parents in Boston on October 8th to stay through the baby’s delivery. Of note, are the many visits Sarah made to the South Shore Triage Unit in order to monitor the baby’s health between 39 and 42 weeks gestation. During each visit we were greeted with kind, confident Nurses and Midwives who reassured us that all was healthy and strong. We were so grateful. Thank you as well to each of the attendants at valet parking, OB entrance greeters, staff in the cafe, Ultrasound Technicians and more. We were always welcomed with a smile feeling each time that they knew why we had come then treating us professionally with genuine empathy.
On October 24th, the expectant parents along with myself, presented at South Shore OB for labor induction. During the 30 hour laboring process through delivery of a healthy baby girl and surgery following for retained placenta, the comments below are bullets of what I witnessed:
- The OB department was clean, uncluttered and quiet. As a Nurse, these aesthetics demonstrated a well-organized, in-control unit. To my daughter this well organized unit provided the serene setting she was counting on for her birthing experience.
- The father and I were consistently greeted by multiple OB staff while passing in the halls (4 shift changes) with smiles and offers of help. To me, this meant all staff knew who we were and thus were prepared to help at any time.
- Report was given by all staff at bedside for shift change. To us, this meant all knew what had taken place thus far, giving reassurance that new staff would transition easily into the plan of care already established.
- Each Midwife began their new shift with asking “how are you” to the laboring Mother, then taking much time at the observing at the bedside. Even though they had been updated as to the current state, their genuine interest went above and beyond our expectations.
- Dr. Rau was visible on and off throughout our laboring period. He rounds to introduce himself voicing that he was on the unit and ready to assist should his services be needed. As a Nurse by profession and mother to my laboring daughter, I was acutely aware of medical events that could unfold. This Physician’s gesture provided another level of reassurance knowing that all necessary resources were at hand.
- Never once did we have to ask for resources. All nutritional needs, comfort measures, laboring devices, room supplies, housekeeping chores, equipment functions were monitored and maintained with directives from the nursing staff. Because of the lengthy labor time, these key functions kept our birthing room calm.
- Everyone was positive, kind, patient, never seeming to be in a hurry. The appearance of enough staffing during such a dynamic process of birthing and postpartum made all the difference to our stay. Not once did anyone need to leave our care to attend to others. The dietary staff waited, the Midwives listened patiently and stayed seated, the Anesthesiologist and Nurse Anesthetics both remained at Sarah’s side from beginning to end of surgery, the baby Nurse remained, the lactation Nurse left no questions unanswered, and so much more. Wow, exceptional care!
- Customer service is obviously a priority at South Shore. It is one thing to have a nurse who goes above and beyond in providing care, it is quite another when the entire OB and ancillary departments exceeded all our expectations.
- Having years of Nursing Administration experience and observing the various areas of your OB suite, I was, in fact, a secret shopper who observed the South Shore system. From what I and my family experienced, South Shore Hospital employs the “Disney mentality” of customer service. From check in to discharge, my daughter, her husband and their baby were the only ones that mattered. This concept of VIP customer service to each individual is most certainly difficult to achieve. Many facilities fall short. Administration must be at the helm of this level of service, training and staffing. As your secret shopper, I say BRAVO and don’t ever pull back. What you do at South Shore should be rewarded with praise and many more patients who come to your facility for care.
- Advertising is expensive to buy. Please know that following our experience at South Shore, the local coffee shop, grocery store, friends, neighbors, cleaners, State Street co-workers, yoga studio and many more in the Quincy area heard of our experience. We are happily doing your advertising.
- One final shout out to the exceptional group of Nurse Midwives headed by Nannette. Susan was the Midwife who delivered our baby. Her ability to read Sarah and provide exactly the right coaching needed those last few hours demonstrated her vast level of experience, endless energy, strong voice which included her loving care to me, the anxious Mother waiting in the wings. Sarah, Ivan and I will always be grateful to her for playing such a pivotal role in our birth story.
A most sincere Thank you from a grateful Mother and Grandmother.
Kristi Gollish